We're still unwrapping all of the subtle software changes in store on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, but one extremely useful — albeit subtle — feature addition is the integration of the Whitepages database into the stock dialer app.

This deep integration into the dialer will automatically identify incoming calls that aren't associated with any of your contacts, attempting to give you information on the caller before you choose to pick up or ignore the call. Leveraging Whitepages' huge database, the dialer will also warn you when an incoming call is from a known spam or scam number, saving you from picking up a potentially unwanted call.

The spam and scam detection system will improve over time as well, as you'll have an opportunity to manually flag fraudulent calls directly through the dialer if you encounter them. Whitepages boasts that its database has over 600 million active phone numbers in the U.S. and a total of 1.5 billion globally, meaning there's a good chance that the next "unknown" caller you have may actually turn into a known person or business before you even answer.

If this sounds familiar, it's likely because Google, Cyanogen and others have integrated similar features into their stock dialer apps. The Whitepages database will be available to Galaxy S7 and S7 edge users in 16 countries across North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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Whitepages Partners with Samsung to Bring its Leading Caller Identification and Spam Detection Service to the Galaxy S7

Mobile Data Leader Expands Globally Across Five Continents

SEATTLE and BARCELONA--(February 21, 2016) —Whitepages, the leading source for caller identification and phone spam detection services in North America, today announced a partnership with Samsung that will provide Galaxy S7 users with a seamless experience that helps to identify unknown callers and also protects them against the increased threat of phone spam and scams. The new service will be available for Galaxy S7 users in 16 countries across North America, South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, providing an overall better phone experience that includes:

Caller Identification: By leveraging Whitepages that includes more than 600 million active mobile and landline phone numbers in the US and over 1.5 billion unique numbers globally, users will be able to make informed decisions about whether or not to answer an incoming call.

Spam and Scam Detection: With Whitepages' state of the art phone reputation service, users will have much needed context for unsolicited spam and scam calls, giving them peace of mind when answering or ignoring a call. It also includes a spam button for users to easily report spam numbers which will in turn, help other users from falling victim to fraudulent calls.

Nearby Business Search: Powered by a global database of local business information, users will be able to search directly within the native dialer to easily find nearby businesses for any and all of life's purchases and curiosities.

With this partnership, Samsung will provide a better phone experience that not only identifies unknown calls and, but protects Galaxy S7 users from phone spam and scams. The issue of caller identification has come to the fore in recent years as phone scam and text spam has significantly increased due to a lack of filtering at the carrier level and a rise in automated VoiP /OTT platforms that have driven the cost of communication down to fractions of a cent. Of the 300 MM incoming calls that Whitepages scans per month in the US, more than 15 MM are classified as "unwanted". In addition, in December, Whitepages released its annual "State of the Unwanted Call" report which revealed a 35 percent growth in spam and scam calls in 2015, as compared to 2014.

"We are pleased to work with Samsung on one of the great issues currently impacting mobile users worldwide," said Alex Algard, Founder and CEO of Whitepages. "Ensuring phone safety through user-friendly services is what we do at Whitepages. We are happy to have worked with Samsung on the Galaxy S7 to provide their users with the greatest phone experience possible and further grow our footprint in the international arena."

With this partnership, Samsung joins the ranks of T-Mobile which announced a partnership with Whitepages last year to bring the company's caller identification and spam/scam protection app, Name ID, to T-Mobile phones. These partnerships with world class handset manufacturers and telecommunications companies are further affirmation that Whitepages is the vanguard of scam detection technologies and is the first line of defense for consumers' mobile phones.

The new Whitepages caller identification and spam and scam detection features will be available when the Galaxy S7 launches in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with additional countries to come.

The Samsung partnership adds to Whitepages' suite of Caller Identification apps from its Whitepages Caller ID for Android to its Caller ID for iPhone to its recent revamp of its Mr. Number app.

About Whitepages:

Whitepages is the leading source for caller identification and phone spam detection in North America. With a database of more than 600 million mobile and landline phone numbers in the US, and over 1.5 billion unique numbers in its global database, Whitepages leverages its extensive data insights to identify unknown calls and texts and to monitor phone-based threats for consumers and businesses. Whitepages scans more than 300 MM incoming calls per month, and has detected more than one billion robo, telemarketing and scam calls and texts to date.